AllFreeNovel
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The next day when I wake, he’s already gone. The house is silent, the only sound the wind brushing against the windows. I take a quick shower and get dressed. Grabbing a post-it from the fridge, I write I’m going back to the motel. I walk around the open kitchen. There is another note stuck to the coffee machine. Went out for an early practice run. I put my piece of paper next to his, smiling when I look at his bad handwriting.
After a quick bite and ordering an Uber, I head downtown. I stop at Garrett and Ray’s place. This place is wild, all marble and stainless-steel appliances. I love the open layout and the beautiful windows giving me a spectacular view of the city below. There is even a huge balcony with a Jacuzzi.
My phone pings with a message from Ray, telling me the family who wanted to look at the apartment rescheduled for next week, and that I’m free to use the apartment for the time being. I slowly walk around the apartment, letting my hand glide over the couch. Could I really stay in a place like this? Could I move back here? Back to the town I tried so hard to run away from? Maybe this time it’s going to be different echoes through my mind. I can have my own space while I figure out what the hell I’m going to do. I slide open the glass door leading to the balcony and step outside. The cool breeze hits my face, and as I stare out toward the mountains in the distance, I close my eyes and make a decision that will either ruin everything or change my life completely.
After calling Ray, I head downtown for my coffee date with my father. I walk a couple of blocks until I reach main street. I forgot how much I loved Aspen like this. Buzzing with activity, people in full snow gear, some strutting their new fashion as they visit the many high-end stores this town has to offer. It wasn’t always like this. When Mom and Dad first settled here in the late seventies, it was an artist town filled with locals who lived to ride and worked on the side.
I open the wooden door; the coffee spot is already packed with soft jazz playing in the background. My father is sitting in the far-left corner next to the window, a crowd of people three-deep around his table. I stand back and watch him talk to every single one of them. There are even a couple of Instagram models fanning over him. I don’t really blame them; dad was twenty-nine when he had me, and at almost sixty, he looks like he’s barely reached fifty. He has the vibe of a snowboarder; laid back, with his dark brown hair long and peeking up from under his black beanie, his green emerald eyes the same as mine. The man looks like he spends the better half of his days in the gym, which he does. When our eyes lock from across the room, he waves. Smiling, I head over, and the girls disperse.
“Hey, kid,” he says, hugging me tight.
“Hi, Dad.” I take my seat opposite him, a couple of his fans still hovering around us.
“Thank you, sir,” a snowboarder who won the silver medal yesterday just behind Jesse says, shaking my father’s hand.
“No problem, dude. I love having you on board.” He tells the kid goodbye, and after a couple of eyelash battings from the girls, we’re alone again.
“Thanks for coming, kiddo,” he says, sounding a little insecure, shifting forward in his seat.
“How are you, Dad?” Up close, he looks kind of tired. The laugh wrinkles around his eyes crinkle when he locks eyes with me.
“Tired as fuck. And I’m always a bit sad during this time of the year.”
I know what he means; the day Ronnie left us is coming closer and closer.
“Here you go, sir, two large regulars,” the barista says, handing us two to-go cups.
“You want to walk around town and have that talk?” Dad asks, motioning with his thumb toward the door.
“Sure, why not.” I smile. I’m still angry, but there is also a part that’s missed our talks. I’ve missed him more than I’ve wanted to admit. We head outside, and I link my arm through his, taking a small sip from the steaming hot cup. A couple of guys stop and say hello. My dad introduces me before they cross the street.
“Everyone wants to talk to you,” I say. I can’t hide the pride in my voice.
Dad rolls his eyes, and I grin as we walk. “You know we started to expand our sponsorship with more guys,” he tells me. “More ads, sponsorships on Instagram and YouTube, that’s probably why.”
“Yeah, the mile-wide banner with our name at the X Games was subtle, Dad,” I say, a soft chuckle escaping from my lips.
He laughs. “I know, but it’s through guys like that Jesse kid that the sport is gaining more momentum. And the reason our brand is expanding,” he says, taking a sip from his coffee. “I know I promised not to ask you to come on board, but I’ve been watching you, kid. And your website is great, better than anyone ever could have thought. You have a knack for running a profitable business. You only have shit taste in business partners, so let me help you out, kid. Please promise me to set aside anything that’s still between us and think about what you would mean for the company.”
“I didn’t come here to talk about the business, Dad,” I tell him and stop walking. “I’m not ready yet.”
“I know,” he says, pausing next to his black matte Range Rover. “Take a drive with me?”
“Why?” I ask, exasperated. He always has an ulterior motive.
“Get in, hon,” he pleads, giving me a wink.
After some swearing, I get in the car, and we drive in silence, stopping at the gate of the house I grew up in. The mansion behind the enormous driveway is still as beautiful as it was when we were all living here.
“Why are you taking me home?” I mutter.
“I want to show you something,” he tells me. He parks the car in one of the garages housing eight cars, before he kills the ignition.
“Okay,” I say, my voice small, following him. I hate to admit I missed this place.
“You’re still obsessed with old timers, aren’t you?” I ask, staring at the new baby blue Mustang.
He grins, tapping his knuckles on the hood of a black Chevy Impala, which wasn’t here last time I visited.
